Well, it partly has to do with whether people think it likely that they will one day be high earners themselves (and the US has that American Dream thing going on). Although that’s not to say that everyone is a self-obsessed bastard who only cares about their own interests: you have affluent socialists who vote to increase their own taxes to help the poor, and poor libertarians who believe it’s wrong for them to benefit from heavy taxes on the sweat of a wealthier person’s brow.

So a large chunk of the population want to increase the personal allowance and fund it through a mansion or other wealth tax… If only there was a party which had included both of these in its manifesto.

Yes but the wealthy can afford the extra tax and they probably wouldn’t even notice the difference. Vast amount of money held by the few is a waste of wealth and it’s not wealth if the money is not used for the better.

The poll suggests there the public would respond favourably if Ed Miliband called for a Mansion Tax to plug the deficit instead of targeting the disabled.

No it doesn’t – it suggests that people are currently happy with the idea of the mansion tax, but not that they would respond favourably to Ed Miliband calling for one. After all, considering his current levels of respect, his calling for such a tax might well reduce support (at least amongst Conservative voters). Opinion polls cannot be used as direct evidence for what policies will be popular.

[…] The Hester moment is Labour’s chance to leap ahead and make unfairness the central charge against this government. Look at the Sunday Times YouGov poll: 62% say taxes on the wealthiest should be increased, while 66% support a mansion tax on property wor…. […]

[…] New poll: most Britons want higher taxes | Liberal Conspiracy Most Britons would support a Mansion Tax on wealthy estates – a poll by YouGov found yesterday. When asked: “Would you support or oppose a new tax upon people with houses worth more than £2 million?” – the question was supported by … Bow Wow Owes 6000 In Overdue Taxes – Starpulse.com Bow Wow is facing a massive tax bill after allegedly failing to hand over more than 6000 in payments over the last several years. The hip-hop star, real name Shad Gregory Moss, was first hit … Santorum to release four years of taxes – CNN Political Ticker – CNN … (CNN) — Rick Santorum said Monday he plans to release four years of tax returns that he found while digging through paperwork at his Pennsylvania home this weekend. […]

[…] The Hester moment is Labour’s chance to leap ahead and make unfairness the central charge against this government. Look at the Sunday Times YouGov poll: 62% say taxes on the wealthiest should be increased, while 66% support a mansion tax on property wor…. […]

[…] But the real running has been made by an unholy alliance between the left, in the form of such tribunes of the people as the Guardian‘s Polly Toynbee, and the populist right, in the form of the Daily Mail, which has worked hard to make first Mr Goodwin and lately Mr Hester into icons of greed and arrogance. Given that Ms Toynbee and the Mail do not agree on much, onlookers are entitled to feel a little queasy at seeing them in league. What links them? Well, Ms Toynbee is honest enough to say, straight out, that she thinks bankers are simply paid too much money, before you even get to questions of their conduct. Here she was this morning, before the news broke of Mr Goodwin’s de-gonging, cheering Mr Hester’s political mugging as a first step in a new war against wealth: The Hester moment is Labour’s chance to leap ahead and make unfairness the central charge against this government. Look at the Sunday Times YouGov poll: 62% say taxes on the wealthiest should be increased, while 66% support a mansion tax on property wor…. […]